


Flaming Red Hair

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [14]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Babies, Family, Gen, if it ain't broke don't fix it, or something, technically they're Northmen rn but you get the point, yes I'm naming it after a song on the FotR soundtrack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28563159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Eadgyd's neighbors bring over their newly adopted son.
Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877335
Kudos: 1
Collections: All the Eadgyd All the Time





	Flaming Red Hair

**Author's Note:**

> I was able to see my dad for Christmas and he'd unearthed my and my sister's baby books, which we all had fun going through and which kind of inspired this fic.
> 
> Plus, we get teenage Ead-twins, which is super cool (they're just a couple months shy of 14 in this fic), and also baby Frida.

Eadgyd and Eadgar had just finished washing their lunch dishes when they heard the door open.

“Anyone home?” a booming voice called.

They rushed towards the door to see Arnulf and Roderic standing in the doorway, both looking deliriously happy. Arnulf held a bundle of blankets, which he and Roderic looked at fondly.

“Hello!” Eadgyd said as she hugged Roderic.

Roderic returned the embrace, ruffling Eadgyd’s hair before turning to hug Eadgar. “Are your parents here?”

Eadgyd shook her head. “They’re out teaching Avina how to forage—they’ll be gone for a while longer,” she said.

“Shame,” Arnulf said as he shifted the blankets in his arms. “I brought a new friend.”

He held a child scarcely more than a year old with flaming red hair, fair skin, and wide brown eyes. The child stood in contrast to both fathers, for while they shared Arnulf’s fair skin and Roderic’s brown eyes, they had neither Arnulf’s honey-gold hair nor Roderic’s deep brown skin. However, the three of them made a striking family, and if Eadgyd were better at drawing, she’d have wanted to grab a piece of paper and sketch them right then and there.

“Hello there,” Eadgar said, smiling up at the babe, who seemed taken aback by the new surroundings. “Still getting your bearings, hmm?”

The child blinked at him before turning away, burying their face in Arnulf’s chest.

“He’s awfully shy,” Arnulf said. “We would’ve brought him to meet you sooner, but we thought it best to give him some time to adjust to his new home.”

“How long have you had him?” Eadgar asked.

“Not long,” Roderic replied, brushing his braids back over his shoulder. “A month, perhaps, not counting the time it took to bring him home.”

Eadgyd peered at the babe, who was still turned away from them. “Where’d he come from?” she asked.

“Well,” Arnulf said, grinning, “that’s something your parents should explain to you.”

Eadgyd groaned. “I know about that,” she said. “But I take it he didn’t just spring out of a hole in the ground.”

“He’s from Black Tarn,” Roderic said, playfully elbowing his husband. “His parents perished on a hunt in Mirkwood and he had no other family. A friend in the area knew we’d been looking to adopt and vouched for our character.”

Eadgyd nodded. Roderic and Arnulf had been husbands ever since she could remember, but they’d only begun looking to adopt in the past few years. She’d been excited for them, partially because they both wanted a child so badly and largely because their child would likely become a new friend. It would be a while before this baby was old enough to play with her and Eadgar, but she hoped that he’d become a friend before long.

Eadgar’s next question interrupted her thoughts. “What’s his name?” he asked.

“Theodwin—or Theo for short,” Arnulf said.

“He looks like a Theo,” Eadgar said as he rose onto his tiptoes to look at the child.

Eadgyd nudged him aside to look at Theo. “I’ve never seen hair so red!” she marveled.

Eadgar nodded. “It looks as if his head’s on fire,” he added.

Eadgyd turned to raise an eyebrow at her brother. “What a disturbing thought,” she said.

Eadgar shrugged, but before he could speak, a sharp cry cut him off.

“Looks like Frida’s awake,” he said.

“If she needs to be changed, you’re doing it this time,” Eadgyd said. “You wormed your way out of it last time, but not again.”

“Ugh, I hope that’s not why she’s crying,” Eadgar replied.

“Doesn’t matter—next time Mother and Father are away, you’re the one changing her,” Eadgyd said as she rushed off to get her sister.

Frida was laying in her cradle, her face red and tears streaming down her face. “Heavens, you’re loud for someone so small,” Eadgyd said as she lifted Frida into her arms, stroking her wispy golden hair.

The contact instantly calmed the babe and her tears subsided. “Addy, Addy!” she said.

“That’s me,” Eadgyd said, leaning down to kiss Frida’s forehead. Her name was too difficult for Frida to say, but she found her new nickname endearing.

Frida gradually calmed as Eadgyd carried her to the foyer. “There now, you just wanted some attention, didn’t you?” Eadgyd said as she gently rocked Frida.

Frida smiled as she saw all of the people in the room. She might be young, but she already craved attention from everyone she met. She smiled at Arnulf and Roderic, cooing excitedly at the familiar faces, before turning back to Eadgyd and yanking her hair. Eadgyd sighed—she didn’t enjoy the sensation of tiny hands tugging at her braid, but Frida would start crying again if she took it away.

“We have a new friend today,” Eadgyd said, wincing as Frida pulled her braid particularly hard. “Can you say hi?”

She shifted so that Frida could see Theo. “His name’s Theo!” Eadgyd said. “Can you say ‘Hi, Theo!’?”

Frida raised a hand to wave to him. “Hi!” she said, her hand flailing about eagerly.

Tentatively, Theo’s lips curved into a smile and he waved back.

“Aw, they’re waving!” Eadgyd said, beaming up at Arnulf and Roderic.

Roderic nodded, moving to put an arm around his husband. “That’s the most Theo has interacted with anyone but us,” he said.

“Father says that Frida has a way about her,” Eadgar said. “Perhaps this is what he means.”

“I think it’s exactly what he means,” Arnulf replied. “She’s young, but she already has a warmth about her. She’s going to make friends very easily once she’s a little older.”

“Not if she pulls their hair,” Eadgyd grumbled, handing Frida to Eadgar. “Here, it’s your turn.”

“Good thing I remembered to put my hair up,” he said, gesturing to his topknot before taking Frida. “Now you don’t have anything to pull!”

In response, Frida tugged at Eadgar’s earlobe.

“She’s already too clever for her own good,” Eadgar mumbled. “But maybe she and Theo can play? That way, you could just wait here until Mother and Father get home.”

Arnulf nodded, making his way to the sitting area. “I think that’d be good for both of them,” he said as he began to unwrap Theo from his blankets.

Roderic sat beside him, taking the blankets from his husband and pressing a kiss to Theo’s forehead. “There now, you’re in good company,” he reassured the babe.

“The best company,” Eadgar said, grinning as he set Frida down on the rug. “Assuming she’s done with ear-tugging for the day.”

**Author's Note:**

> Expect more bunny-related fic in the future, and hopefully a new chapter to the Eadgar Lives AU (which I have not forgotten about, I promise).
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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